Hyderabad: Fuming over the Central government’s decision to deny him political clearance to travel to the US, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday slammed the BJP-led NDA regime, saying that the move amounted to an insult to the four crore people of the state.
Reddy alleged that the Centre was discriminating against Telangana, pointing out that Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had been permitted to visit the US to seek investments for his state.
“The BJP doesn’t want any state to grow beyond a point,” Reddy alleged while addressing a press conference after returning to Hyderabad from a three-day visit to the UK.
He said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will raise the issue in Parliament.
The media had reported that his proposed US itinerary included meetings with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and US Vice-President JD Vance.
Reddy said there was nothing inappropriate about meeting the elected mayor of New York.
“Mamdani is elected Mayor for New York. He is not an anti-social element,” Reddy remarked.
He said no engagement involving a chief minister and a mayor or the US Vice-President will take place without being officially finalised.
“The Indian embassy is very involved in the chief minister’s engagements,” Reddy said.
Reddy left for the UK on August 20 as part of a planned 10-day tour of the UK and the US to promote investments in Telangana. The UK visit was cleared by the Centre, but political clearance for the US leg was refused, forcing him to cut short the trip and return from London.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said that political clearance for the Telangana CM’s US trip was denied because the proposed programme was not “appropriate” for the office of the chief minister.